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Businesses call for email-free Christmas

Published: 29 Nov 12 11:56 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20121129-46469.html

Employees must get a break from work-related emails over the holidays, a small business group demanded on Thursday, calling for clear guidelines on when Germans can switch off their phones for a silent night at Christmas.

Bosses should at least impose a ban on work communication between Christmas and New Year, Mario Ohoven, head of the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses told Thursday's Bild newspaper.

“Clever employers grant their colleagues some Christmas peace in the true sense of the word. Between Christmas and New Year mobile phones should be switched off except in emergencies,” he told the paper.

The rapid spread of smart phones, tablets and laptops means more employees than ever are constantly available to colleagues and clients. A recent study showed that 29 percent of German employees were open to receive emails and phone calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And with a total 89 billion work-related emails sent worldwide every day - a figure predicted to rise to 144 billion by 2016 – German employers are discussing how to best create a healthy work-life balance.

German Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen recently called for a clearer separation of work and leisure time, and reminded bosses of their legal duty to actively protect the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees.

“When do I have to check mails and when is it ok that I deal with them later? Technology does not pose a problem for health, we just have to learn to deal with it sensibly,” the minister said in June this year.

“We need (to establish) a right to be unavailable, in order to protect employees' leisure time,” Lothar Schröder, member of the board of services trade union Verdi told the paper.

Many large firms have issued rules or statements designed to allow workers to switch off and relax without feeling guilty, yet most have left it up to the individual to decide whether to answer emails in their free time.

“No-one is expecting (employees to) check mails under the Christmas tree. Management should make sure their colleagues don't overstretch themselves,” a spokesman from manufacturing giant Siemens told the paper.

Others said the nature of their work meant they had to be ready to react at the weekend too.

“I'm against a strict rule,” said Herbert Hainer, head of Adidas Germany. “Since we deal with sport, we have to be able to react sometimes at the weekend too. Still, it has to be [something] really important.”

DAPD/The Local/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

14:09 November 29, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
If my work phone went off in the silent hours of the night it would need to be surgically removed from whoever rang it. Depending on one's job such as being a doctor or surgeon on call there should be no need to be on call after hours.
18:33 November 29, 2012 by Landmine
"Employees must get a break from work-related emails over the holidays, a small business group demanded on Thursday calling for clear guidelines on when Germans can switch off their phones for a silent night at Christmas."...

Must get a break huh? what? Are Germans such wimps they need to be told when to shut off their phones because they need a break? Geeeez, get a life....
20:59 November 29, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
Landmine

Germans need a law stating they are allowed turn off their work phones.

'Many large firms have issued rules or statements designed to allow workers to switch off and relax without feeling guilty, yet most have left it up to the individual to decide whether to answer emails in their free time.'

This is where corporate culture applies sublime pressure on workers to answer their emails and calls on their time off. The age old guilt feeling of leaving work on time and not doing an extra hour for the company works this way also.
01:24 November 30, 2012 by Landmine
Sorry man, that doesn't cut it. I have had the tyrant supervisors do that to me and they get my contract in their face. 40 hrs is 40 hours. No more no less, you want more, cough up some money...

I work for the biggest Consulting company in North America and they know better than to try that BS. Seems to me Germans should do the same thing. If they bring it up at contract time, then ask for more money,

I suppose that is the difference between workers here and elsewhere.
08:54 November 30, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
Well done Landline. I am the same way when it comes to my time. It is a common problem in Germany to be made feel guilty for going home on time. I guess it depends on the job. It seems to be more prevalent in white collar jobs. If a boss tried it with me I would get a lawyer and go about claiming constructive dismissal. It is after all them breaching the terms of the work contract.
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